Monthly Archives: September 2010

Review: Unusual Studio V-Box

Earlier in the year, I reviewed an iPhone case from Unusual Studio. The product itself wasn’t very unusual, though the distribution process was far from conventional. Fast forward a few months and Unusual Studio sent over their other product, the V-Box. For a few weeks now I’ve been playing around with the device and to say it lived up to the name would be a gross understatement. Continue reading →

Review: Gelaskins for iPad

People love protecting their investment, especially if it is an Apple product, which in most cases will result in an over abundance of protection. Personally, I love the feel of an Apple product with no case at all.  It just feels more natural – which in my opinion is better than the feel of most cases. There is one issue that arises when using a naked iPhone or a naked iPad, and that is protection.  Without a case, your device is vulnerable to scratches and bruises. Cue  Gelaskins, a company that creates protective skins for all of your ‘i’ products. Previously, we have reviewed a Gelaskin for the iPhone, MacBook, and today the iPad… Continue reading →

Review: Grove Bamboo Case For iPhone 4

As the number of products available for the iPhone 4 increases, more and more unique products seem to be rising to the surface.  Each of these products appeal to different aspects of the consumer.  For instance, some cases appeal to a sense of style, a sense of utility, or a sense of unparalleled protection.  Some products even attempt to be the jack of all trades and offer something that they think will appeal to all of our sensibilities.  Fairly few accessories, however, appeal to one’s environmental ethos, or one’s tendency to cling to nature.  One such product is the Grove Bamboo iPhone 4 Case.  Click the jump to read more. Continue reading →

Review: Manon Garritsen Closeable Notebook Sleeve

If someone asked me what the most used Mac accessory is that isn’t designed in California and made in China (i.e. not Apple) – I’d say it’s a pretty runaway contest: Incase neoprene sleeve. And it’s odd. It’s not that pretty of a product. It doesn’t do a whole lot protection wise. But for whatever reason, no one has been able to crack the market. Things have been changing. I previously reviewed Tech21′s Impact Wrap, a British take on the notebook sleeve that offers tons more protection. Today I take on a simplistic and stylish alternative from the Netherlands, the Closeable Notebook Sleeve designed by Manon Garritsen.

Out of the Box

It’s the sleeve with a tag attached in the box. Still waiting for someone to include some McDonald’s toy.

Design

Manon Garritsen sent me a marble grey rendition of the 17″ version of the Closeable notebook sleeve. It’s a pretty simple design. A woolen felt material makes up the width that is seen by most of the notebook sleeves on the market. The material is 3mm thick meaning that when empty it’s just under a centimeter thick. The flap goes over the pcoket and is secured by a black elastic strap. Other than that, there’s a small red tag on the side with the logo.

Protection

The material itself is relatively heavy with a decent amount of flexible that helps to cushion the notebook. I purposely spilled a bit of water on the material just to see its effect. It’s definitely not waterproof, but my notebook stayed dry from a Dixie cup’s worth of water. I wouldn’t say that it provides anymore water-resitency to the Incase Neoprene sleeve. And that’s sort of the story. It offers the same protection all around as the Incase. It’s still not going to protect your notebook from anything beyond a minor fall. I wouldn’t feel comfortable as saying that it is even capable of being of shileding any sort of drop. The Incase’s fault is the zipper on the top, the Manon Garritsen obviously doesn’t have that problem. The other large difference is that the Manon Garritsen is a bit more spacious. My MacBook Pro and Speck hard case fit snug, unlike the Incase, where stretching must occur in order for it to fit.

In closing

It’s a great product. No doubt a lot of care went into the creation of the Manon Garritsen. However, there’s a price. Regardless of what MacBook you have (from MacBook Air to my 17″ MacBook Pro) Manon Garritsen’s sleeve will set you back $50 or so plus shipping. That compares to the basic Incase that will set you back $40 at most and a lot of times a lot cheaper depending on where you pick it up. In some defense, a lot of Incase’s custom creations will set you back more, but to me I still think that $50 is a bit much. It would be unfortunate if that becomes the standard price, but speculating isn’t really the point of this review. At the end of the day, if you like the looks, it’s a great looking piece, just understand it’s function is relatively limited.

Review: Tokyoflash Kisai Escape C

I’m not even sure where to start with this the Tokyoflash Kisai Escape C. Tokyoflash is apparently a watch company. So you ask, what are they doing on TheMacFeed? Is this one of those straps for the new iPod Nano? No. Tokyoflash describes it as a “Bluetooth fashion accessory” – that’s probably a start. The rest of me trying to explain this device can be found after the jump. Continue reading →

Review: Daniusoft DVD Creator

Photo slideshows are a fantastic way to share pictures from the past on the big screen, and up till now, I have been using iMovie alongside iDVD to do so. A while back, I got my hands on Daniusoft’s DVD creator, an all-in-one solution that creates the slideshow and burns the disk from one, very simple application, and I have been begging to go back ever since. Continue reading →